WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:22.360 This week on the Computer Chronicles, new generation PCs. 00:22.360 --> 00:25.580 It's time to rethink what a personal computer should be. 00:25.580 --> 00:28.620 Is the old typewriter metaphor a thing of the past? 00:28.620 --> 00:32.420 Today we'll look at several innovative approaches to the PC of the future. 00:32.420 --> 00:35.760 We'll show you transphone, part telephone, part PC. 00:35.760 --> 00:38.680 We'll look at Apple's new low-cost home computer called Pippin. 00:38.680 --> 00:44.880 You'll see the power of the VBox, a new multiprocessor screamer that uses multiple power PC chips. 00:44.880 --> 00:49.320 And we'll show you the Pilot, a tiny little thing that extends the reach of your desktop 00:49.320 --> 00:50.320 PC. 00:50.320 --> 00:54.760 Plus a sneak preview of the new low-cost internet computer from Oracle. 00:54.760 --> 00:59.360 All this plus Giles Online, this week's computer news, my pick of the week, all coming up next 00:59.360 --> 01:03.920 on the Computer Chronicles. 01:03.920 --> 01:08.960 The Computer Chronicles is made possible in part by Acer America, proud supporters of 01:08.960 --> 01:18.240 intelligent programming, computer or otherwise. 01:18.240 --> 01:23.040 Additional funding from the Software Publishers Association, providers of educational materials 01:23.040 --> 01:24.840 to help manage software. 01:24.840 --> 01:33.240 Don't copy that floppy. 01:33.240 --> 01:34.960 Hi and welcome to the Computer Chronicles. 01:34.960 --> 01:36.680 I'm Stuart Shafae. 01:36.680 --> 01:41.400 With the internet revolution well underway, computer companies are rethinking what a PC 01:41.400 --> 01:42.840 should really be. 01:42.840 --> 01:47.720 If there's all that power out there on the net, maybe all we need is a smart terminal. 01:47.720 --> 01:50.640 That's the approach of the new transphone developed in Canada. 01:50.640 --> 01:53.120 Tom, we've got a couple of transphones here to play with. 01:53.120 --> 01:56.680 And first of all, give me a kind of guided tour of the box. 01:56.680 --> 01:59.840 Transphone is an information transaction appliance, Stuart. 01:59.840 --> 02:04.560 And the objective is to give to our customers the kinds of products and services they want. 02:04.560 --> 02:05.560 For instance... 02:05.560 --> 02:06.720 So it looks like a telephone to start with, huh? 02:06.720 --> 02:07.720 That's exactly right. 02:07.720 --> 02:08.720 In fact, it is a telephone. 02:08.720 --> 02:09.720 A handset. 02:09.720 --> 02:10.720 That's right. 02:10.720 --> 02:12.840 It has caller ID, call waiting. 02:12.840 --> 02:17.120 If you have email, a little... it'll come up on here and say your email is ready. 02:17.120 --> 02:19.720 It has a DSP chip with 10 minutes of messaging. 02:19.720 --> 02:22.320 It has a speakerphone. 02:22.320 --> 02:25.160 As you can see, there's two PC MCIA slots down here. 02:25.160 --> 02:27.400 So we could add applications or memory or... 02:27.400 --> 02:28.400 That's right. 02:28.400 --> 02:32.320 And also a smart card so that you can do secure transactions on the internet or any other 02:32.320 --> 02:33.320 vehicle you'd like. 02:33.320 --> 02:34.800 Let's take a look at the back and the ports here. 02:34.800 --> 02:35.920 What's all this stuff? 02:35.920 --> 02:41.120 There's two telephone lines so that you can talk and go ahead and surf the net. 02:41.120 --> 02:46.280 CRT port, printer port, serial port, power source, and switch. 02:46.280 --> 02:47.280 All right. 02:47.280 --> 02:48.840 Now on the back, it starts to look like a computer. 02:48.840 --> 02:49.840 And in fact, that's it. 02:49.840 --> 02:52.440 It looks like a phone, but it's really a PC in a way. 02:52.440 --> 02:54.320 And this one is all plugged in and ready to go. 02:54.320 --> 02:56.120 So show me how I turn this into a computer. 02:56.120 --> 02:57.600 Very simply, we pull it open. 02:57.600 --> 02:58.600 There we go. 02:58.600 --> 02:59.960 Keyboard, full screen, the whole ballgame. 02:59.960 --> 03:00.960 Exactly. 03:00.960 --> 03:01.960 All right. 03:01.960 --> 03:02.960 So I've got all these function keys. 03:02.960 --> 03:04.240 So explain what I can do with this. 03:04.240 --> 03:05.740 This is like a mall. 03:05.740 --> 03:10.400 Think of these function keys as being anchor tenants with various different services and 03:10.400 --> 03:11.400 products. 03:11.400 --> 03:14.040 So I can go do my banking, for example, if I press F10? 03:14.040 --> 03:15.040 Exactly. 03:15.040 --> 03:16.560 And you've got a credit card swipe there. 03:16.560 --> 03:17.560 Right. 03:17.560 --> 03:20.760 So you just read your card, and you just spent some money or got some cash or whatever you 03:20.760 --> 03:21.760 needed? 03:21.760 --> 03:22.760 Exactly. 03:22.760 --> 03:23.760 All right. 03:23.760 --> 03:24.760 And over here, postal services. 03:24.760 --> 03:25.760 What would I do with that? 03:25.760 --> 03:26.760 Right. 03:26.760 --> 03:27.760 In fact, we're going to announce that we're going to Canada Post. 03:27.760 --> 03:32.160 And this, in fact, provides services for people so that they can actually use the Canada Post 03:32.160 --> 03:36.680 office, check on services, and actually do a number of other things with that. 03:36.680 --> 03:37.680 OK. 03:37.680 --> 03:38.680 Lots of other choices. 03:38.680 --> 03:41.360 You've got, what, built-in calculator, calendar functions, all like that. 03:41.360 --> 03:42.600 So you've got that stuff in there. 03:42.600 --> 03:43.600 Right. 03:43.600 --> 03:44.600 Text writer. 03:44.600 --> 03:45.600 There's a virtual mall. 03:45.600 --> 03:47.080 You've got a clock in there, a real-time clock. 03:47.080 --> 03:48.080 Is that what that does? 03:48.080 --> 03:50.080 That's exactly right. 03:50.080 --> 03:51.080 Cool. 03:51.080 --> 03:55.120 Now, you also had F5 was an internet button. 03:55.120 --> 03:58.240 And what's really important is this really gets you onto the web and lets you surf the 03:58.240 --> 03:59.240 internet and that stuff. 03:59.240 --> 04:00.240 Right? 04:00.240 --> 04:01.640 And the other machine is right now online and plugged in. 04:01.640 --> 04:07.840 So let me move this guy back and show us how this thing works now. 04:07.840 --> 04:08.840 And we are hot online. 04:08.840 --> 04:11.760 Matter of fact, you're on PCTV's web page right now. 04:11.760 --> 04:14.000 That's exactly right. 04:14.000 --> 04:16.360 And you're using Netscape Navigator. 04:16.360 --> 04:19.480 So we're able to run real software here. 04:19.480 --> 04:21.560 And can you just sort of cruise around? 04:21.560 --> 04:23.120 Can we just sort of surf the net using this thing? 04:23.120 --> 04:24.120 Yeah, we can. 04:24.120 --> 04:26.640 What we'll do is we'll go up to the bookmark. 04:26.640 --> 04:30.120 And just as if you were cruising the net with any computer, you select where you want to 04:30.120 --> 04:31.120 go. 04:31.120 --> 04:33.520 For instance, we'll select without Yahoo. 04:33.520 --> 04:36.760 And this will take us right into the Yahoo home page. 04:36.760 --> 04:39.180 So it's a phone. 04:39.180 --> 04:41.920 It's got all those little PCMCIA slots and other utilities. 04:41.920 --> 04:43.400 I can plug in a printer in the back. 04:43.400 --> 04:44.400 That's right. 04:44.400 --> 04:45.400 And it's a net terminal. 04:45.400 --> 04:48.080 Okay, what it doesn't have, no hard drive. 04:48.080 --> 04:49.560 It's only a 286. 04:49.560 --> 04:50.560 Very little RAM. 04:50.560 --> 04:52.040 But the theory is, what's the point? 04:52.040 --> 04:54.520 I mean, that's all sitting out there on some server somewhere, right? 04:54.520 --> 04:55.520 Exactly. 04:55.520 --> 04:56.520 It's remote computing. 04:56.520 --> 05:01.660 It's the NC concept, which enables people to use the power of the remote systems. 05:01.660 --> 05:03.360 And you always have up-to-date systems. 05:03.360 --> 05:04.360 What's this going to sell for, Tom? 05:04.360 --> 05:08.040 This is $500 for color, $350 for the black and white. 05:08.040 --> 05:09.040 Very impressive. 05:09.040 --> 05:10.040 The Transphone. 05:10.040 --> 05:11.040 Thanks a lot. 05:11.040 --> 05:13.960 At Sun Microsystems, they're working on the PC for the 21st century. 05:13.960 --> 05:17.400 And it doesn't look much like today's personal computer at all. 05:17.400 --> 05:21.640 The Sun project is code-named Starfire. 05:21.640 --> 05:26.960 A visitor to the world of Starfire is not unlike Alice walking through the looking glass. 05:26.960 --> 05:29.840 Starfire dwellers are no longer looking at a computer screen. 05:29.840 --> 05:32.040 They are inside it, a part of it. 05:32.040 --> 05:37.080 A first-time visitor may find it difficult to distinguish between reality and fantasy. 05:37.080 --> 05:41.880 And yet, the Starfire project was conceived as a practical, likely successor to today's 05:41.880 --> 05:45.680 generation of two-dimensional, fragmented computers. 05:45.680 --> 05:47.940 Starfire is essentially the world as a computer. 05:47.940 --> 05:50.280 You have a private cyberspace. 05:50.280 --> 05:51.760 You can get to it on your portable. 05:51.760 --> 05:57.560 You can get to it on your desktop computer, or in the case of Julie in the film, her desk 05:57.560 --> 05:59.080 computer. 05:59.080 --> 06:03.560 Or you can get to it by bringing your wristwatch close to a public terminal halfway across 06:03.560 --> 06:05.060 the world. 06:05.060 --> 06:09.480 To demonstrate their concept, Sun Microsystems even produced a short motion picture that 06:09.480 --> 06:12.280 mixes live actors with special effects. 06:12.280 --> 06:16.640 In an office setting, the seamless desktop and lifelike video conferencing were combined 06:16.640 --> 06:20.300 to bring scattered data and distant colleagues together. 06:20.300 --> 06:22.440 They call it telepresence. 06:22.440 --> 06:29.880 The idea is that you reduce the borders between cyberspace and actual space. 06:29.880 --> 06:36.580 When we looked at video conferencing, we discovered that the problem is not making the remote 06:36.580 --> 06:43.160 person feel part of the group, the problem is a sociological problem of the group accepting 06:43.160 --> 06:45.320 the remote person as part of the group. 06:45.320 --> 06:48.720 When they're on a little TV screen somewhere over in the corner, it doesn't happen. 06:48.720 --> 06:52.640 So we brought them up to the table and we made them full-size, real life. 06:52.640 --> 06:57.900 And in fact, we had a very interesting problem when we got into the editing suite, in that 06:57.900 --> 07:01.480 they just simply looked like they were sitting at the table. 07:01.480 --> 07:06.360 Starfire designers Tognizini and Michael Deering admit that there are some obstacles to overcome. 07:06.360 --> 07:11.960 Telepresence will require data transfers of one terabyte per second and display resolutions 07:11.960 --> 07:14.760 that are hundreds of times higher than today. 07:14.760 --> 07:18.520 But Sun believes that once we get used to the idea of an all-encompassing computing 07:18.520 --> 07:23.040 environment, we will never understand how we lived without it. 07:23.040 --> 07:41.160 For the Computer Chronicles, I'm Giles Bateman. 07:41.160 --> 07:45.320 One of the arguments over the future of home computing is will we add computing power to 07:45.320 --> 07:50.600 our television sets or will we add TV capability to our personal computers? 07:50.600 --> 07:54.480 Apple is betting that the TV will be the preferred viewing device with a new approach to home 07:54.480 --> 07:56.080 computing called Pippin. 07:56.080 --> 07:59.240 Mark, we've got a Pippin right over here, and when you just look at it, it kind of looks 07:59.240 --> 08:00.560 like a video game console. 08:00.560 --> 08:03.960 You've got it plugged into a TV set, you've got a kind of game controller, but it is a 08:03.960 --> 08:05.360 lot more than that, isn't it? 08:05.360 --> 08:06.360 That's right, Stuart. 08:06.360 --> 08:10.760 The Pippin platform is being positioned by Apple as a new media appliance for access 08:10.760 --> 08:17.440 to a vast array of interactive content, whether it be on CD-ROM, learning titles, education, 08:17.440 --> 08:22.880 self-help, reference, but also an excellent online services and worldwide web access device. 08:22.880 --> 08:26.280 Now how can I do all this stuff with just a little game controller like this? 08:26.280 --> 08:30.160 Well, many CD-ROM titles and interactive titles are, in fact, point and click. 08:30.160 --> 08:32.160 I mean, so you do have a mouse or trackball built in. 08:32.160 --> 08:33.160 That's right. 08:33.160 --> 08:35.720 I mean, in your living room, you don't have a horizontal service to run a mouse. 08:35.720 --> 08:41.320 It's not convenient, so we've built an inverted mouse, if you will, but one that's also more 08:41.320 --> 08:44.540 palatable for game environments. 08:44.540 --> 08:47.200 And you can plug a keyboard in, too, if you needed it, right? 08:47.200 --> 08:48.200 Exactly. 08:48.200 --> 08:53.200 The structure of the Pippin is such that you can plug any ADB device, in this case Apple 08:53.200 --> 08:57.920 keyboards or other third parties, into the receptacle, and then you have access to text. 08:57.920 --> 09:00.080 All right, let's look at two of the main things it does. 09:00.080 --> 09:03.440 I mean, it is a multimedia Mac, if you will, right? 09:03.440 --> 09:07.640 So you've got a CD-ROM in there, and I could just play a typical game with my kids or whatever. 09:07.640 --> 09:08.640 That's right. 09:08.640 --> 09:13.720 The consumer would take a CD-ROM for the application that they wanted to play or work with and 09:13.720 --> 09:14.720 simply put it in the device. 09:14.720 --> 09:15.720 All right. 09:15.720 --> 09:16.720 So that's your little CD-ROM slot in there? 09:16.720 --> 09:17.720 That's correct. 09:17.720 --> 09:20.240 It's a 4X CD-ROM driver capable technology. 09:20.240 --> 09:22.960 It is a PowerPC-based engine. 09:22.960 --> 09:28.120 And here we see a very popular title for the three- to five-year-old bracket of Rotor Bun's 09:28.120 --> 09:29.720 living books, Dr. Seuss. 09:29.720 --> 09:31.960 Now you say it's PowerPC-based. 09:31.960 --> 09:33.040 What about the operating system? 09:33.040 --> 09:34.440 Is this using the Mac OS? 09:34.440 --> 09:36.520 Well, it's a version of the Mac OS. 09:36.520 --> 09:40.040 It's really Pippin OS, because it's slightly different. 09:40.040 --> 09:46.700 It is, in fact, smaller than a normal Macintosh OS, and it's pressed on every Pippin CD experience 09:46.700 --> 09:48.480 is booted from the CD. 09:48.480 --> 09:49.480 All right. 09:49.480 --> 09:52.440 And a Pippin CD will run on a Mac or run under Windows? 09:52.440 --> 09:53.440 That's right. 09:53.440 --> 09:56.720 It will certainly run on a Mac, which means that immediately there are literally millions 09:56.720 --> 09:59.440 of playback machines that can play Pippin titles. 09:59.440 --> 10:03.080 And if it's a multi-mode title that's included in Windows version or DOS version, it would 10:03.080 --> 10:04.080 run in that. 10:04.080 --> 10:05.080 Okay. 10:05.080 --> 10:07.360 Now the other thing this does is it lets me use it as an Internet terminal, basically, 10:07.360 --> 10:08.360 right? 10:08.360 --> 10:09.360 That's right. 10:09.360 --> 10:11.600 So would you show me how I'd use this to log on to the net and surf the web and all that 10:11.600 --> 10:12.600 stuff? 10:12.600 --> 10:13.600 Sure. 10:13.600 --> 10:14.600 Let's head over here. 10:14.600 --> 10:16.800 I'm going to show you a little demo of this. 10:16.800 --> 10:17.800 Okay. 10:17.800 --> 10:18.800 Come back and play again. 10:18.800 --> 10:21.760 It's probably important to note, of course, that this is being displayed on a television 10:21.760 --> 10:27.240 set, which has different technical challenges than an RGB monitor in the computer space. 10:27.240 --> 10:32.320 And we've done a lot of work in hardware to try and minimize flicker and overscan and 10:32.320 --> 10:33.320 things that would go in the play. 10:33.320 --> 10:34.320 Yeah. 10:34.320 --> 10:37.280 That's why I'd like to see what the web looks like and the resolution of a TV set. 10:37.280 --> 10:39.920 Well, it will never be as good as an RGB monitor. 10:39.920 --> 10:41.960 TVs just aren't that good, but we think we've done a good job. 10:41.960 --> 10:44.640 Okay, well, the TV set, I'm probably not going to be eight inches away from it either. 10:44.640 --> 10:45.640 I'm going to be back here. 10:45.640 --> 10:46.640 That's right. 10:46.640 --> 10:49.080 And most people aren't going to be surfing the web to read a lot. 10:49.080 --> 10:51.280 So we up in real time now using Netscape? 10:51.280 --> 10:52.280 We're booting in. 10:52.280 --> 10:53.280 We'll be in real time here with Netscape. 10:53.280 --> 10:54.280 Okay. 10:54.280 --> 10:55.280 Yeah. 10:55.280 --> 10:56.280 Let's get to the... 10:56.280 --> 11:02.200 And we can just go surfing around here using Pippin as an Internet terminal. 11:02.200 --> 11:03.200 That's correct. 11:03.200 --> 11:04.200 I'll just get some bookmarks here. 11:04.200 --> 11:09.160 We can go quickly to the Apple computer page. 11:09.160 --> 11:11.360 And so it's got sort of modem built in? 11:11.360 --> 11:15.480 The modem that either can be built in is a Geoport compatible device, which means that 11:15.480 --> 11:17.920 a Geoport pod can be added to it. 11:17.920 --> 11:24.840 In this case, our first licensee, which is Bondi Corporation, who announced earlier this 11:24.840 --> 11:29.360 week that they will begin shipping the device in Japan next week, in fact, is bundling a 11:29.360 --> 11:30.520 modem with the device. 11:30.520 --> 11:31.520 Okay. 11:31.520 --> 11:32.520 What about storage? 11:32.520 --> 11:33.520 I think there's no storage in there. 11:33.520 --> 11:34.520 There's some storage. 11:34.520 --> 11:39.080 There's 128K of flash memory, so it's non-volatile, and it's great for... 11:39.080 --> 11:40.880 So you can store simple things, bookmarks. 11:40.880 --> 11:41.880 Yeah. 11:41.880 --> 11:45.000 For the Internet and preference files for the game and where you left it. 11:45.000 --> 11:48.640 If you need more storage than that, there's an optional floppy drive, and there will be 11:48.640 --> 11:51.240 other peripherals available in time with larger storage. 11:51.240 --> 11:53.560 Real quick, finally, what's the intended price mark? 11:53.560 --> 12:01.240 Bondi is shipping this device now at 648,000 yen, which is, by today's rate, about $650. 12:01.240 --> 12:03.720 That's for the device, the modem, and five titles. 12:03.720 --> 12:04.720 Thank you very much. 12:04.720 --> 12:05.720 You're very welcome. 12:05.720 --> 12:06.720 All right. 12:06.720 --> 12:09.960 Well, the computer industry is still trying to find the ideal model for a portable computing 12:09.960 --> 12:10.960 device. 12:10.960 --> 12:13.240 We have laptops, palm tops, and desktops. 12:13.240 --> 12:17.200 No one seems to have come up with the perfect combination for the mobile user. 12:17.200 --> 12:21.840 One very innovative new approach is the Pilot from the Palm Computing Division of U.S. Robotics. 12:21.840 --> 12:26.440 And, Ed, you've got a Pilot right here, and it's so small you have it in your shirt pocket. 12:26.440 --> 12:27.440 That's right. 12:27.440 --> 12:28.440 It fits in your pocket. 12:28.440 --> 12:31.880 All your important personal data you can carry with you anywhere. 12:31.880 --> 12:38.320 On it is an address book, a date book, a to-do list, and a memo pad for all your contacts. 12:38.320 --> 12:41.000 I can store thousands of records in this small device. 12:41.000 --> 12:42.000 Okay. 12:42.000 --> 12:43.000 Now position it for me. 12:43.000 --> 12:48.080 Why is this different from Newton or Sharp Wizard or any of these other things? 12:48.080 --> 12:52.640 Well, it allows you to carry all your important personal information in your pocket. 12:52.640 --> 12:56.920 Unlike those products, which are big and bulky, this one actually fits in your shirt pocket. 12:56.920 --> 13:00.480 And if you're going to have all your calendar and all your contacts on you, you want to 13:00.480 --> 13:01.680 be able to take them with you anywhere. 13:01.680 --> 13:04.000 But you have all that same functionality in here? 13:04.000 --> 13:05.000 Absolutely. 13:05.000 --> 13:08.880 So you have a calendar, address book, to-do list, and a memo pad. 13:08.880 --> 13:11.580 It's very easy to get access to those and very fast. 13:11.580 --> 13:14.000 We actually have one button interface to any of those. 13:14.000 --> 13:18.840 It will turn the device on and take you to the preferred view of your data. 13:18.840 --> 13:21.200 So here is, for instance, today's date. 13:21.200 --> 13:26.200 And or I can go to my address book and click to there on my to-do list or my memo pad. 13:26.200 --> 13:28.000 There's also a little calculator on board here. 13:28.000 --> 13:32.640 It allows you to hunt and peck around and actually do the calculations as well. 13:32.640 --> 13:36.520 You know, now the thing that I don't like about most of these devices is I have one 13:36.520 --> 13:41.580 set of data and information over here in my portable or palm-top device and another set 13:41.580 --> 13:45.000 of information in my desktop, which is a nuisance because you're worried that things are going 13:45.000 --> 13:46.160 to get out of sync. 13:46.160 --> 13:48.280 This is really designed to solve that problem, isn't it? 13:48.280 --> 13:52.360 This product was designed as a PC accessory as opposed to a stand-alone product. 13:52.360 --> 13:54.000 And it comes with this little cradle here. 13:54.000 --> 13:58.280 And this cradle is a serial connection to your PC environment. 13:58.280 --> 14:01.740 When you come back from being in the field and viewing information and putting information 14:01.740 --> 14:06.080 into the device, you drop the device in this cradle, and then it synchronizes with desktop 14:06.080 --> 14:08.080 software that comes with the system as well. 14:08.080 --> 14:10.040 And we provide you with a full desktop PIM. 14:10.040 --> 14:14.320 It's a companion PIM, a personal information manager, that allows you to input information 14:14.320 --> 14:15.560 either on the desktop or on the cradle. 14:15.560 --> 14:16.600 Now, show me how you do that. 14:16.600 --> 14:17.600 I'm out on the field. 14:17.600 --> 14:18.600 I'm on a trip. 14:18.600 --> 14:19.600 I make a note. 14:19.600 --> 14:20.600 I make a date. 14:20.600 --> 14:21.660 I change my calendar. 14:21.660 --> 14:22.660 And I come back to the office. 14:22.660 --> 14:25.440 And how do I make sure all my databases say the same thing? 14:25.440 --> 14:28.880 Well, I'm inputting right now a new entry into my calendar. 14:28.880 --> 14:30.940 I'm going to say, lunch with Stuart. 14:30.940 --> 14:35.120 And that's the graffiti sort of recognition stuff you're using, right? 14:35.120 --> 14:36.120 Right. 14:36.120 --> 14:41.120 This allows you to enter text into the system at up to 30 words a minute with 100% accuracy. 14:41.120 --> 14:42.480 I just put in a new date for you. 14:42.480 --> 14:43.680 I'm going to drop this device. 14:43.680 --> 14:45.000 Okay, so I come back to my office. 14:45.000 --> 14:46.000 Right. 14:46.000 --> 14:47.920 And I want to make sure my life is in sync here. 14:47.920 --> 14:48.920 So what do I do? 14:48.920 --> 14:49.920 I just stick that in the cradle. 14:49.920 --> 14:50.920 Drop it in the cradle. 14:50.920 --> 14:52.720 And all I have to do is push this single button right here. 14:52.720 --> 14:56.480 That's the entire user interaction with the device and the PC. 14:56.480 --> 14:57.480 I push that button. 14:57.480 --> 14:58.800 You see it starts to synchronize right now. 14:58.800 --> 15:02.320 I'm saying to my PC and to my pilot, sync up, guys. 15:02.320 --> 15:04.000 That's right. 15:04.000 --> 15:06.400 And the software on the PC, it's called Hot Sync. 15:06.400 --> 15:08.320 It's going through the synchronization process right now. 15:08.320 --> 15:09.320 It's checking the date book. 15:09.320 --> 15:12.280 It's doing the address book and to-do list and the memo pad. 15:12.280 --> 15:13.280 It's complete. 15:13.280 --> 15:14.280 It just takes seconds to do that. 15:14.280 --> 15:19.000 So any changes I would have made in my little pilot is now being made in my PIM that's inside 15:19.000 --> 15:20.000 my desktop. 15:20.000 --> 15:21.000 Right. 15:21.000 --> 15:22.000 You can see our appointment just showed up there. 15:22.000 --> 15:23.840 Lunch with Stuart. 15:23.840 --> 15:25.640 And that is a new appointment we put in in the field. 15:25.640 --> 15:29.640 In addition, you can put information in on the PC, and when you push the button as well, 15:29.640 --> 15:30.880 it downloads both ways. 15:30.880 --> 15:31.880 So it's an intelligent synchronization. 15:31.880 --> 15:35.400 So those two ways I make all my changes here tomorrow morning before I leave the office, 15:35.400 --> 15:37.360 I plug that in and say, update me. 15:37.360 --> 15:38.360 That's right. 15:38.360 --> 15:41.040 Or your secretary or someone else is back at the office updating all the information. 15:41.040 --> 15:42.320 What's it going to cost? 15:42.320 --> 15:47.040 The device, the cradle, all the desktop software comes in a complete package for $299. 15:47.040 --> 15:48.040 That's a good differentiator. 15:48.040 --> 15:49.040 Thanks a lot. 15:49.040 --> 15:50.040 All right. 15:50.040 --> 15:54.120 Much of the talk about the need for a new low-cost Internet computer has come from Oracle, 15:54.120 --> 15:55.760 which is a software company. 15:55.760 --> 16:00.560 Recently, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison showed off a prototype of the new Oracle terminal, 16:00.560 --> 16:05.600 now officially called the NC, or the Network Computer. 16:05.600 --> 16:10.480 The CPU, a monitor, megabytes of memory, and a hard disk filled with software. 16:10.480 --> 16:14.560 For more than a decade, these have become the standard parts that make up the desktop 16:14.560 --> 16:15.560 computer. 16:15.560 --> 16:19.780 But that could change if Oracle, the database giant, finds a receptive audience for its 16:19.780 --> 16:24.400 new version of computing, called the NC, or Network Computer. 16:24.400 --> 16:27.720 We think that the hardware is too expensive. 16:27.720 --> 16:31.120 And the hardware is expensive because, again, it's very general purpose. 16:31.120 --> 16:34.340 Software is too complicated, again, very general purpose. 16:34.340 --> 16:41.040 So the idea is to create a class of hardware devices that do fewer things, but what they 16:41.040 --> 16:42.920 do is they do very well. 16:42.920 --> 16:46.300 So they access multimedia, so you can do video and audio. 16:46.300 --> 16:48.040 They let you do email. 16:48.040 --> 16:49.800 They let you do word processing. 16:49.800 --> 16:51.760 They let you access the web. 16:51.760 --> 16:54.420 But that's pretty much all they do. 16:54.420 --> 16:59.080 It's also our observation that most information is going to be on the network. 16:59.080 --> 17:03.960 The NC is actually a group of devices ranging from a thin box that attaches to a television 17:03.960 --> 17:11.180 set to a portable version, a multimedia system, and a computer phone combination. 17:11.180 --> 17:15.420 For secure access, the units can be activated by a personal smart card. 17:15.420 --> 17:19.920 They all have one thing in common, however, the software and files are stored and accessed 17:19.920 --> 17:24.440 remotely either on a company network or on the internet. 17:24.440 --> 17:26.800 The key to a network computer is the network. 17:26.800 --> 17:33.000 The fact that everything I do is maintained for me back in this safe network site so that 17:33.000 --> 17:35.100 I can always get to it from anywhere. 17:35.100 --> 17:40.400 And if the device I happen to be using fails for some reason, the information is maintained. 17:40.400 --> 17:42.320 I can get to it from another device. 17:42.320 --> 17:47.000 Oracle foresees the internet as the worldwide equivalent of a corporate in-house network 17:47.000 --> 17:51.880 where someone else keeps the hardware humming and backs up your files and software upgrades 17:51.880 --> 17:53.600 arrive automatically. 17:53.600 --> 17:58.040 The idea is to take the rich experience, the graphics, the interactivity, move that to 17:58.040 --> 18:03.000 the client, to the device on the desktop, but to have the administration back in the 18:03.000 --> 18:04.000 server. 18:04.000 --> 18:06.560 So you end up with the best of both worlds. 18:06.560 --> 18:25.040 For the Computer Chronicles, I'm Giles Bateman. 18:25.040 --> 18:30.200 With Microsoft and Intel dominating the computing world with their respective control over software 18:30.200 --> 18:34.320 and hardware standards, you would think someone would be nuts to introduce a new model for 18:34.320 --> 18:37.400 a personal computer with a new operating system. 18:37.400 --> 18:42.320 But Bee Incorporated has done just that with its BeeBox, a new approach to high-powered 18:42.320 --> 18:43.320 computing. 18:43.320 --> 18:45.880 Mark, we've got a Bee computer over here. 18:45.880 --> 18:46.880 Why a new operating system? 18:46.880 --> 18:49.920 Why did you feel that was necessary and take on all the risks that are associated with 18:49.920 --> 18:50.920 that? 18:50.920 --> 18:53.280 Well, Bee, when it started, we really started with two precepts. 18:53.280 --> 18:56.120 One was that one processor per person was not enough. 18:56.120 --> 19:00.040 We've been laboring under that assumption for 20 years, and we should get past that 19:00.040 --> 19:02.080 into higher performance computing. 19:02.080 --> 19:07.120 The second was that we really needed, again, 20 years of computer architecture in the past. 19:07.120 --> 19:12.920 We really needed a computer architecture that dealt with media at its basic level, and that 19:12.920 --> 19:16.240 we could get very high performance if we actually did that, if we actually used what we know 19:16.240 --> 19:17.240 to do. 19:17.240 --> 19:20.880 So you wanted an OS that was really fine-tuned for multimedia and that was fine-tuned to 19:20.880 --> 19:22.160 use multiple processors. 19:22.160 --> 19:25.960 Absolutely, and that's deliver workstation-level performance for a very low price. 19:25.960 --> 19:26.960 All right. 19:26.960 --> 19:29.800 Now, in the BeeBox we have over here, you have, what, two PowerPC chips in it? 19:29.800 --> 19:32.720 Two PowerPC 603 processors in the unit. 19:32.720 --> 19:33.720 All right. 19:33.720 --> 19:35.280 Now, show me what the advantage of that is. 19:35.280 --> 19:37.440 I mean, give us an example of something that's going to take advantage of that. 19:37.440 --> 19:41.360 Well, this is an example of a simple Mandelbrot calculation, floating-point graphics-type 19:41.360 --> 19:42.360 calculation. 19:42.360 --> 19:46.960 And what you'll see down here is two levels of the processors showing you what's going 19:46.960 --> 19:48.120 on in the processors. 19:48.120 --> 19:52.460 So if I come up here to the graphics and iterate down on the Mandelbrot set, you'll notice 19:52.460 --> 19:55.400 that both processors fire at the same time. 19:55.400 --> 19:59.440 That's an example of two processors working on the same problem at the same time to get 19:59.440 --> 20:00.440 it done faster. 20:00.440 --> 20:02.440 And that's what your OS is enabling, really. 20:02.440 --> 20:03.440 Exactly. 20:03.440 --> 20:04.440 Getting the most out of those processors. 20:04.440 --> 20:06.240 You're not wasting time talking from one to the other. 20:06.240 --> 20:07.240 Exactly. 20:07.240 --> 20:08.240 Exactly. 20:08.240 --> 20:09.240 Okay. 20:09.240 --> 20:10.240 Now, show me you've got... 20:10.240 --> 20:11.240 I mean, this is meant for multimedia, you said. 20:11.240 --> 20:13.400 So you can do really cool things in which you can actually run video, run audio at the 20:13.400 --> 20:14.960 same time, bring them together. 20:14.960 --> 20:15.960 Absolutely. 20:15.960 --> 20:16.960 All right. 20:16.960 --> 20:17.960 How do you do that? 20:17.960 --> 20:19.360 So this is an example of two... dealing with two media streams. 20:19.360 --> 20:24.040 One is a MIDI track we have down here, and say another one is a video track we have up 20:24.040 --> 20:25.040 here. 20:25.040 --> 20:27.800 And say if you wanted to sync these together so that they both ended at the same time and 20:27.800 --> 20:28.800 then output it to video. 20:28.800 --> 20:32.000 So the first task is you're simultaneously playing some digital music and playing some 20:32.000 --> 20:33.000 digital video. 20:33.000 --> 20:34.000 Exactly. 20:34.000 --> 20:36.400 And on top of that, you can perform a third task of syncing them up, basically. 20:36.400 --> 20:37.400 Exactly. 20:37.400 --> 20:41.560 And so I'll take the MIDI track and we'll drag that to the end of the track, and we'll 20:41.560 --> 20:45.160 drag the video to the end of the track as well so that they're both synced at exactly 20:45.160 --> 20:46.160 the same point. 20:46.160 --> 20:51.080 And I'll drag the time icon from one... from the video down to the MIDI track. 20:51.080 --> 20:52.080 Now if I'll... 20:52.080 --> 20:55.240 I move the slider around on the video, you'll notice the slider... 20:55.240 --> 20:56.240 Now they're all synced up. 20:56.240 --> 20:57.240 Will also be synced up. 20:57.240 --> 21:05.720 And if I start them, both of them will end at exactly the same point in time. 21:05.720 --> 21:07.600 Okay. 21:07.600 --> 21:08.600 Multimedia box. 21:08.600 --> 21:12.360 Now you have a sort of grand finale demo here in which you run 10 million tasks at once 21:12.360 --> 21:16.160 on this thing to show the power of running two PowerPC chips together. 21:16.160 --> 21:17.160 Set that up for me. 21:17.160 --> 21:18.160 Let's bring up the Mandelbrot application. 21:18.160 --> 21:19.760 I'll bring up the Pulse application. 21:19.760 --> 21:23.440 We'll come back to the Universal mailbox, and I'll open up three different videos at 21:23.440 --> 21:24.440 the same time. 21:24.440 --> 21:28.200 B-Logo, Cashflow, Future Phones, let's say. 21:28.200 --> 21:35.240 And I'll come back here to the desktop, and I'll open up the MIDI folder and open up Here 21:35.240 --> 21:38.880 and Now. 21:38.880 --> 21:39.880 And I think... 21:39.880 --> 21:44.440 Let me open up those videos one more time because I think I missed the click there. 21:44.440 --> 21:45.760 Yes, there it comes. 21:45.760 --> 21:48.340 We'll play the MIDI track. 21:48.340 --> 21:50.200 We have the Mandelbrot set going on. 21:50.200 --> 21:52.200 So we're running the Mandelbrot in very calculation intensive. 21:52.200 --> 21:54.560 One of our videos... playing the music, running one video. 21:54.560 --> 21:55.560 Exactly. 21:55.560 --> 21:56.560 Running two videos. 21:56.560 --> 21:57.560 There's the second video. 21:57.560 --> 21:58.560 Now let me open up the mailbox again. 21:58.560 --> 21:59.800 Well, the third video comes in. 21:59.800 --> 22:01.320 There's our third video. 22:01.320 --> 22:04.360 And I'll also play another audio track on top of the MIDI track as well. 22:04.360 --> 22:07.040 Don't try this at home on your one processor computer. 22:07.040 --> 22:08.040 Exactly. 22:08.040 --> 22:09.040 Things will just start slowing down. 22:09.040 --> 22:11.240 Real quick, how much is it going to cost, and when is it available? 22:11.240 --> 22:15.080 It'll be available next quarter, and it will cost for a fully configured system, we figure 22:15.080 --> 22:16.960 it will street for about $2,500 to $2,700. 22:16.960 --> 22:17.960 That's great. 22:17.960 --> 22:18.960 Mark, thank you very much. 22:18.960 --> 22:19.960 Okay. 22:19.960 --> 22:24.600 So the next generation of PCs will look different, run different kinds of software, and may even 22:24.600 --> 22:27.880 be based on a totally new approach to hardware architecture. 22:27.880 --> 22:32.760 Giles Bateman explores a couple of websites that hold some clues for what the 21st century 22:32.760 --> 22:35.280 computer will look like. 22:35.280 --> 22:36.280 Thanks Stuart. 22:36.280 --> 22:39.240 To get a glimpse of the future of computing, I recommend checking out some of the following 22:39.240 --> 22:40.240 websites. 22:40.240 --> 22:41.240 Let's start with the Panda Project. 22:41.240 --> 22:44.560 These guys are developing technologies and already building some computer systems around 22:44.560 --> 22:47.160 them that I think will affect the future of all computer design. 22:47.160 --> 22:51.480 Now, we've got two technologies described here, the VSPA semiconductor package and the 22:51.480 --> 22:55.680 compass connector, and while the semiconductor package does represent advances in semiconductor 22:55.680 --> 22:59.080 design, I think the bigger impact will come from the compass connector. 22:59.080 --> 23:01.320 Right now, PCs are all built around a motherboard. 23:01.320 --> 23:05.200 Everything connects to the central motherboard, but with the compass connector, PCs will be 23:05.200 --> 23:08.100 built more like the internet, based on a backbone. 23:08.100 --> 23:12.080 This will make them more modular, more scalable, which translates into tremendously more powerful 23:12.080 --> 23:15.400 machines that are easily upgradable, no planned obsolescence there. 23:15.400 --> 23:17.200 Now, that's what's going to happen on the inside of machines. 23:17.200 --> 23:20.880 If you want to see what will happen on the outside, let's check out the design firm Design 23:20.880 --> 23:22.480 Edge here and take a look at their portfolio. 23:22.480 --> 23:26.200 You can see some things they've designed, I think notably the Sensu. 23:26.200 --> 23:27.600 Sensu is Japanese for fan. 23:27.600 --> 23:31.200 It kind of looks like a fan because this is a handheld computer with a curved screen. 23:31.200 --> 23:35.760 Now, while the hardware is going to have some advances, let's hope the software keeps pace 23:35.760 --> 23:36.760 as well. 23:36.760 --> 23:41.640 Human Code is a design firm that designs interfaces, and we can take a look at their past portfolio, 23:41.640 --> 23:46.040 a lot of multimedia projects, but although these are projects that already exist, if 23:46.040 --> 23:49.240 you take a look at some of their interfaces, you can see what your computer screen and 23:49.240 --> 23:52.120 interface might look like tomorrow. 23:52.120 --> 23:53.120 Thank you, Giles. 23:53.120 --> 23:57.080 Now, time for our weekly summary of the latest news in the field of personal computing. 23:57.080 --> 24:00.660 Here is this week's Random Access. 24:00.660 --> 24:05.040 In the Random Access file, the computer industry created two more instant multi-millionaires. 24:05.040 --> 24:10.720 Recently, Jerry Yang and David Filo, founders of Yahoo, have taken the company public. 24:10.720 --> 24:15.520 Yahoo provides a way for computer users to easily search the World Wide Web. 24:15.520 --> 24:22.480 The stock opened at $13 and rose as high as $43 during its first day of trading. 24:22.480 --> 24:28.360 Met Software has released a program that automatically retrieves and displays World Wide Web pages. 24:28.360 --> 24:33.480 Called NetTriever, users can schedule retrieval so they can start their day with weather, 24:33.480 --> 24:38.240 view top news stories at noon, and check stock prices at the close. 24:38.240 --> 24:43.640 Most web pages are displayed as wallpaper, screensavers, or slideshows. 24:43.640 --> 24:46.080 Have you played SPQR on the Internet? 24:46.080 --> 24:51.760 The popular CyberSight's mystery game will now be brought to CD-ROM by GT Interactive. 24:51.760 --> 24:58.600 The company says it plans to work with CyberSight on future CD-ROM titles with Internet components. 24:58.600 --> 25:02.200 Shopping online is picking up acceptance among Internet users. 25:02.200 --> 25:08.200 Market researchers say 19% of Internet users have actually made purchases online, but 59% 25:08.200 --> 25:12.440 are expressing interest in making online purchases. 25:12.440 --> 25:17.360 Core Dynamics has introduced a video television card for desktop PCs. 25:17.360 --> 25:23.440 Called the Dynamax Hi-Res+, users can watch TV and capture images with its video snapshot 25:23.440 --> 25:24.520 recorder. 25:24.520 --> 25:28.360 The ISA card costs about $300. 25:28.360 --> 25:31.860 And New Media has announced a game card for laptop owners. 25:31.860 --> 25:38.080 The Game Jammer PCMCIA card features a built-in speaker, so you won't miss any of the noise 25:38.080 --> 25:41.240 in your favorite games when you're on the road. 25:41.240 --> 25:43.000 That's it for this week's Random Access. 25:43.000 --> 25:45.560 We'll send it back to you, Stuart. 25:45.560 --> 25:47.240 Now for my pick of the week. 25:47.240 --> 25:51.200 Not only is the basic model for a computer changing, the model for computer peripherals 25:51.200 --> 25:54.480 is also changing, especially pointing devices. 25:54.480 --> 25:58.560 It looks now like the portable industry is starting to settle on the TrackPoint device, 25:58.560 --> 26:03.280 first used by IBM on the ThinkPad, and now being used by Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, and 26:03.280 --> 26:05.160 other notebook manufacturers. 26:05.160 --> 26:08.960 What's dumb is that your poor little hands and fingers have to learn one skill for using 26:08.960 --> 26:13.400 your desktop pointing device, and another set of muscular skills for using your laptop 26:13.400 --> 26:14.720 pointing device. 26:14.720 --> 26:19.160 That may be coming to an end, though, with this new desktop mouse substitute from Interlink 26:19.160 --> 26:20.400 Electronics. 26:20.400 --> 26:23.960 Interlink figures that once you've learned how to use the TrackPoint device on your laptop, 26:23.960 --> 26:27.260 why not use the same motor skills on your desktop? 26:27.260 --> 26:30.720 So they have come up with this DeskStick, which lets you do just that. 26:30.720 --> 26:33.160 You don't need to clear space on your desk for a mouse pad. 26:33.160 --> 26:36.760 You only need one finger to do all your pointing, and you can finally settle on learning only 26:36.760 --> 26:39.200 one way to move your cursor around. 26:39.200 --> 26:42.640 Now using the DeskStick, and you see it's very easy over here, you can just do all your 26:42.640 --> 26:46.960 normal things just with the one finger, this reduces the chance of repetitive strain injuries 26:46.960 --> 26:50.400 of the wrist, and since it's all enclosed, you never have to worry about maintenance 26:50.400 --> 26:55.000 or dirty parts, and if you're left-handed like I am, it works just as well with either 26:55.000 --> 26:56.000 hand. 26:56.000 --> 26:59.320 List price for the DeskStick is under $60. 26:59.320 --> 27:01.000 That's it for this week's Computer Chronicles. 27:01.000 --> 27:04.520 We'll be back here again next week with more on the latest in personal computers. 27:04.520 --> 27:10.440 I'm Stuart Shafae, we'll see you here next time. 27:10.440 --> 27:15.480 The Computer Chronicles is made possible in part by Acer America, proud supporters of 27:15.480 --> 27:25.000 intelligent programming, computer or otherwise. 27:25.000 --> 27:29.820 Additional funding from the Software Publishers Association, providers of educational materials 27:29.820 --> 27:31.720 to help manage software. 27:31.720 --> 27:35.360 Don't copy that floppy. 27:35.360 --> 27:39.160 Videotape copies of all Computer Chronicles shows are available for $32.50. 27:39.160 --> 27:41.400 Please order by show number and topic. 27:41.400 --> 27:45.280 And for more detailed information about the series, guests, and products featured, you 27:45.280 --> 27:48.040 can also order a subscription to the Shafae Letter. 27:48.040 --> 27:51.860 In each issue, Stuart provides his unique insights and thoughts about the fast-changing 27:51.860 --> 27:54.760 world of personal technology. 27:54.760 --> 28:01.000 Guests and the Shafae Letter can be ordered by calling 1-800-800-9520 or by writing us 28:01.000 --> 28:04.880 at the Computer Chronicles. 28:04.880 --> 28:08.600 For more information on anything you've seen on today's program, check out our website 28:08.600 --> 28:33.200 at www.pctv.com.